Carolyn: You have a great memory, yes that's right. It's where I went to high school
I was back there last year and it hasn't changed all that much but there is no longer a high school for girls. They've opened an old age home and an orphanage, maybe girls have put their foot down and refused an all girl education. I went when we did what we were told...
There are many many buildings on this multi acred estate that once belonged to a coal magnate. I would drop names but it's not necessary...and I don't think any of us would want to live in either place without a lot of servants. Anyway, thanks for reading and for all the fb, Now that the Easter holidays are over I'm sure you're glad to be back to normal sleeping arrangements without all of this extra work!!!
Roswelllostcause: 
You are allowed to be a fan of anyone you want to....this was written the year the Phillys won the pennant and even though I'm from Pa. originally I would have been a Pirates fan at that time...then it was the Dodgers and Angels, so you see...I have many many baseball teams in my past. Now it's the Texas A&M Islanders, number 13, I'm a fan of.
Thank you for your kind words, I really look forward to hearing from all of you.
*~*~*~*
Chapter: 6
When Max and Liz headed into the kitchen they found Olivia up to her elbows in fresh vegetables, pots, pans and bowls. Liz looked the situation over and asked where the dish towels were. Olivia raised an eyebrow at her and Liz just shook her index finger back and forth and raised her own eyebrow right back. Olivia started laughing at Liz and started shaking her head…”they are over there in that drawer”.
And with that Liz headed over to the indicated drawer and pulled out a towel and wrapped it around her waist to use as an apron and then looked at Olivia…
“What do you want me to do?” She asked.
Olivia gave her a sly smirk and pointed to the large pot sitting next to a bag of potatoes and a large carton of eggs.
“Wash the potatoes and put them in that large pot and then set them on the back burner. We are going to make potato salad but we will save some of the potatoes for hash browns. The senior Mr. Evans loves homemade hash browns from scratch and I guess Mrs. Evans uses frozen ones. Personally I can’t tell the difference but the Sr. Mr. Evans says the fresh ones just taste better…maybe it’s because I add a little onion powder to the water I soak them in.” Olivia smiled at Liz.
“Well, since you won’t be here in the morning I will be sure to do that. How much onion powder and how long do I soak the potatoes…do I grate them before or after they soak and where is the grater?” Liz grinned at Olivia and started washing potatoes…God she must be expecting an army and Liz said as much.
“No, not an army, just the two Evans men and Mr. Whitman, they really like their potatoes, besides with the potato salad there won’t be that many left for the hash browns…maybe 5 pounds. That will be enough for approximately 5 days…and now that you know how to make them you can do more if they’re needed.”
“Oh Olivia, I don’t think I will be here for more than a few days tops. I have to get back to work.”
About that time Liz’s cell phone rang…she retrieved it from her jeans pocket and checked the caller Id. She didn’t recognize the number at all but figured she would give the caller the benefit of a wrong number…
“Hello.”
“Hello, is this Liz?” Mr. Jarred asked
“Yes, who is this?”
“Hello Liz, this is Mr. Jarred. I wanted to tell you that we are so pleased with the results of your project and to also let you know that you can take as long as you want to come back. You really deserve a rest and we want you to come back to us refreshed and ready to take on a new assignment we have in the works.
“It also means a very large promotion for you along with a much belated salary increase. You enjoy your time off and we will see you when you get back…and Liz, do you have a pencil handy, I want to give you my personal cell phone number in case you need anything.”
“Mr. Jarred, I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. Yes, I can get a pencil, just wait a second.”….Olivia saw the anxious look on Liz’s face and turned to the desk on the other end of the kitchen and retrieved a pencil and paper and handed it to Liz. Liz mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Olivia who returned the gesture with a smile.
Liz told Mr. Jarred she was ready and he gave her his number and told her to have fun. She assured him she would and she would be checking in with him in a couple of days. He in turn insisted that she not bother to call until she was ready to come back and she agreed. She also asked him to tell the receptionist to continue on with the instructions she had left with her. Mr. Jarred did not understand the cryptic message but assured her he would do just that.
If Don called he could just be told she was out of town on business. He didn’t need to know any more than that. She needed time to think and she needed time to forget so that she could think when she was ready to.
After Liz hung up her phone she keyed in Mr. Jarred’s cell number to memory and got back to the business at hand and continued to wash potatoes.
“Is everything alright Liz?”
“Oh yes Olivia, more than alright. That was the CEO of my company telling me to take as long as I need to get back to work because there is a new project in the works and they want me fresh as a daisy when I return.” She didn’t bother going into any details about promotions and raises since she had no idea what all of this would entail. Besides, Liz was not used to having someone to confide in so she kept the better part of the conversation to herself.
After she finished washing the potatoes and putting them into the huge pot and getting the eggs into another large pot she started in on chopping the celery and onions. Olivia gave her zip locks to put the chopped vegetables in.
Olivia was really happy to have the company while she worked, Liz was a joy to be around and the help was welcomed as well. Although Olivia was capable of doing all of the work herself it was just nice to have the friendly young woman to talk to. No one would ever guess that she was as renowned as she was; she was so down to earth and likable but she had no idea the inner turmoil the young woman was trying to overcome through all of the smiles and friendly actions.
“Olivia, what are we going to do with all of these hard boiled eggs? My God, you certainly don’t want to put all of them into the potato salad do you?”
Olivia about choked …”Lord no Liz…we are going to devil some of them and the rest will go into some of the other salads I am making.”
“Well, just who in the name of God is coming besides Philip, Diane, Izzy and Alex? With Max and I that will be six and there is enough food here for an army, or at least an army division.” Liz questioned with large eyes…about that time Max walked into the kitchen to get another cup of coffee and grinned at Olivia and nodded to her that it was ok…
Olivia smiled and said, “Well, Mr. Evans…” Max raised an eyebrow at her as he exited the kitchen…”Well, Max…” and Max nodded his head in approval…”Max has invited some of the team over with their families as a sort of welcome for his folks.” Olivia didn’t know about the business that would be conducted when Max’s team mates arrived…
“Oh,” Liz said. She wondered if she should head on out to a motel. She really didn’t want Don to find out where she was but she didn’t want to hurt Max’s feelings after all of the trouble he went through to make her feel welcome either. She didn’t know what to do.
Olivia saw the puzzled look on Liz’s brow and asked her what was wrong.
“Oh nothing…Max asked me to stay so I could visit with the Evanses and I didn’t know there would be other people here…I don’t know if I should be here.” She really didn’t want to reveal too much information to Olivia but Olivia being Olivia was used to celebrities and their privacy and she also knew that Liz was a celebrity in her own right so she just said what came naturally to her,
“Liz, if you are concerned about the media…nothing will leave the confines of this estate. It is one of the most secluded areas in Philadelphia. I believe that Max saw this potential when he bought the place.”
Liz gave Olivia a smile and continued chopping vegetables…”Thank you Olivia, you seem to have a tremendous insight into peoples’ feelings.” And then she added, “I believe you missed your calling.”
Olivia gave Liz a sly grin and said, “Liz, I have a college degree in accounting, I am a CPA, but working for Max pays me more than I could ever earn in the public sector and the time off that I get to spend with my family more than compensates for anything else I could be doing. Besides, it’s like visiting an extended family when I am here, and when I need extra help for preparing the house for large gatherings I just call the temp agency and hire who I need. There isn’t a better job on earth or a nicer employer.” And with that she headed to the pantry for more supplies.
Liz couldn’t believe what she just heard and she kept on chopping. Soon Olivia returned with very large bowls and sat them down on the other end of the long island. She brought out more pots and plates and motioned to Liz to help her in the pantry. Liz followed her in and they proceeded to carry out plates and flatware that was stored in boxes and then Olivia yelled down the hall to Max.
Max poked his head out of his private office and saw the girls with their hands full of plates and napkins and ran to their aid.
“Do you want these out on the patio Liv?”
“Sure do and you know where the cloths are to wash the tables, right?”
“Yes maam; and I’ll do a good job. Do we have enough steaks and hot dogs for the kids…should I call the butcher?”
“Max, you know we have enough of everything…and as soon as you get the buffet tables started you can come in and help with the melons…I need you to cut the water melon so we can use it for a bowl.”
Max grinned at Liz and winked at Olivia “I’ll be right in. Are things going ok in there? Should I ask Charles’ wife to come over?”
“No, Liz and I have everything under control…you just do your part and we’ll take care of the rest.” Liz was looking between the two of them and wondering just who worked for whom? She was actually enjoying all of this tremendously.
“Who is Charles?” Liz asked Olivia.
“Oh, Charles is the head gardener. He lives on the other side of the estate in a very nice home. He and his wife were here when Max bought the place and Max kept him on. He is very nice and occasionally his wife, Margaret, will come over and help me if I need an extra hand. But the Evans women will be here in about an hour or so and Mrs. Evans will want to help so we have to save something for her to do. She really isn’t a very good cook but she follows instructions very well and it makes Max happy that his Mom wants to take part.”
Liz giggled at Olivia’s description of Diane’s cooking. She remembered how Max used to complain about his Mom trying out new recipes…it was a riot, Liz just kept chopping.
Max came into the kitchen after having put the dishes, flatware, napkins, cups and glasses on the patio and asked what his next chore was. Olivia pointed to the pantry and said “Sodas and beer need to be taken to the refrigerator on the patio and then set up the bar and get it ready with all the ice from the ice maker.”
“Aye, aye captain.” And with that Max headed to the pantry and started removing cases of sodas and beer. Before long he came back and went to another pantry looking room and started putting alcoholic beverages onto a roll around cart along with mixes and headed back out to the patio.
“Have you hired a bartender for this evening Max?” Olivia asked…
“No, not tonight. There won’t be that much drinking with an important game tomorrow. I doubt that anyone besides Dad will even bother with the stuff but I like to have it in case the ladies might want something. They can mix their own.”
“Fair enough, then I won’t have to worry about broken dishes, glasses or the like, will I?”
“Not unless the kids start a riot.” And with that Max and Olivia both started laughing…it had happened on more than one occasion.
Liz saw a huge bowl of lemons and limes and figured these had to be sliced or quartered…she asked Olivia if she needed those cut and how would she like them cut when she caught a break between Max and Liz’s banter and Olivia told her that this was Max’s job and she should let him do it. Liz smiled and said ok…”what do you want me to do now Olivia?”
“Well, I turned the eggs off awhile ago and drained them…they should be ready to be peeled and you might run a fork through those potatoes to see if they’re ready to drain.”
Liz walked right over to the stove and jabbed one of the potatoes and found them ready and proceeded to find a couple of pot holders and started to lift the big pot off the stove about the time Max came into the kitchen for more supplies and he let out a huge “No!” Liz jumped back and looked at him in horror holding her two hands in the air with the pot holders clutched between her fingers…what in the hell happened?
“Liz, don’t lift that pot…Olivia doesn’t even lift that pot…let me do that. You’ve got 15 pounds of potatoes and all of that scalding water…dear God, the last thing we need is to have to call an ambulance.” Max was shaking from head to toe; he couldn’t remember being that scared in a long, long time.
“Sorry, I didn’t think about how heavy it was…but Max, I really am used to lifting heavy things. I put the pot on the stove.”
“Scalding hot heavy things?” Max retorted.
“Well, no, not really scalding hot…I won’t do it again, okay.”
“Okay Liz, now go back to chopping, will you?”
“Aye, aye ‘el cap-ee-tan’!!!” Liz saluted Max, clicked her heels, picked up her knife and started chopping.
Olivia was having her own bout of shaking as well, thank God Max caught her when he did. She had her back turned to the stove when the young woman went after that pot. She felt so guilty for not telling Liz not to lift the pot; she never dreamed she would even try. She will have to be more explicit when giving instructions to her from now on; she is very adventurous and also very comical.
With Liz and Max helping Olivia had pretty much taken care of the entire menu for this afternoon’s festivities before the Evanses had ever arrived.
There was still the three bean salad to mix up and she could have Liz open the cans and drain off the liquid while she mixed up the dressing in the large bowl. The bakery should be delivering the various pies, breads and cup cakes shortly, and the freezer was full of ice cream…She checked the pantry again to make sure there were enough cones for the ice cream for the children and she was pleased with the way things were coming together. She was actually an hour ahead of schedule what with the help of the sweet young doctor who had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen, she just radiated sunshine.
Soon Liz had all of the eggs peeled and Olivia handed her a large bowl and told her to chop two dozen of the eggs and put them into the bowl and to take the other three dozen and cut them in half and put the yolks into another bowl to mix the ingredients for deviled eggs.
Liz did as she was told while Olivia took a very large jar of mayonnaise and some mustard and started to put the ingredients into the bowl Liz was putting the yolks into. She watched in amazement as things started to come together and then Olivia went to a drawer and pulled out a large pastry bag.
After they mixed all of the yolks Olivia put the mixture into the pastry bag…put the halved egg whites onto a beautiful platter and started piping the mixture back into the eggs. She had Liz sprinkle paprika on top of the eggs and then they placed some parsley leaves around the edges and covered them with saran wrap. Olivia then put the platter into the refrigerator with the glass front and it looked like something out of a magazine. Liz just stood back and smiled…Olivia eyed the young doctor and followed her eye level to the refrigerator and smiled back at her. “You did good Liz!” Liz just giggled…
“We work well together, no?”
“We work well together yes!”
“What next?” Liz asked.
“Well, how about we start on the chicken.”
“Ok, where is it and what do you want me to do?”
“The chicken is in the first refrigerator, the butcher delivered it in cut up pieces already…all we have to do is fry it to get it browned…then we’ll put it on racked cookie sheets and bake it done…it shouldn’t take too long.”
“Okay”
And with that Liz went to the solid door refrigerator which she now knew was refrigerator number one and took out the packages marked chicken and put them onto the island that was now cleared of all the other items.
Olivia had taken out the flour, some onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and mixed all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Liz unwrapped the chicken, rinsed it off under the tap while Olivia got a very large skillet from the pantry and filled the bottom with about an inch of oil and started heating it up. Liz in turn started dipping the chicken pieces into the flour mixture and then Olivia ran some water over her hand and flicked some drops into the skillet and it started sizzling. She nodded to Liz to start putting the pieces into the skillet while she readied the baking pans with the racks for baking. Liz couldn’t get over how well organized this kitchen was. She just loved it. It had everything under the sun in it.
Soon Max came back and saw that the island was cleared enough for him to start the melons and then he asked his famous question…Olivia was waiting for it…
“Did you leave something for mom?”
“You know I did…now you just do your melons. When Mrs. Evans gets here we will start to assemble the potato salad. All she has to do is add salt, pepper and mayonnaise. All of the other items are finished.”
“You are an angel Liv, thank you.’
“You’re too kind Max, now get busy or your Mom will want to cut the melons and you know she’ll take off a finger.”
Max just laughed and ran some hot water in the sink and added soap to wash the island off before laying his melons out and then he started cutting the watermelon into a pretty pattern before scooping out the insides. Liz just shook her head and kept dipping chicken into flour while Olivia kept browning and turning chicken in the skillet.
Soon the kitchen was all cleaned up, refrigerator number 2 looked like something from the Emeril Live show and Olivia was getting the large bowl for the potato salad ready for Mrs. Evans arrival.
Max headed out to the patio to make sure all of the tables and chairs were arranged for friendly, comfortable visiting and when he was pleased with everything he headed back into the house to check on the ladies…it was just about time for the limo to get here and he was getting excited. The team would be showing up around five…that should give everyone time to say hello, get settled and be ready for dinner.
He felt very happy…he was a lucky, lucky man and he thanked God again for all of his blessings, just like he did everyday. How is it that some people can be so fortunate while others are so needy? He only hoped that he could continue to help out in his own small way. He hoped his Dad had all of the information with him so that he and the guys could get this thing in Arizona finalized quickly and they could enjoy the evening with their families. (Two more of his team mates wanted in on the camp for the kids and Philip’s firm was handling all of the legal proceedings.)
Liv and Liz have worked so hard to put it all together…how nice of Liz to want to help. She seems just like the old Liz, not a bit stuck up, nothing like Maria had convinced him of so many years ago. I wonder why Maria had said the things she had. He shook it off and went back to his happy thoughts.
Max heard the sound of the buzzer for the gate and used the camera to see who was there…it was the limo and the bakery truck following right behind. ‘Oh, this is going to be so much fun’…
Max headed out to the front steps to await the arrival of his folks, he was so excited that they were here, wait until they find out who else is here.
*~*~*
As the limo pulled up to the house Max ran the length of the stairs to greet the inhabitants. His Mom was the first to exit the vehicle and Max grabbed her into the same hug he had bestowed on Liz the day before. Diane squealed in delight and then Isabel got out and she was next to be spun around…Philip and Alex each got big hugs and the limo driver grinned at the entire group.
Max always used the same limo service and driver and the man knew the young athlete was as common a person as they came. He truly enjoyed seeing the happiness that shined out of his eyes. There was no mistaking that this family truly loved and enjoyed each other.
After all the hugs and helloes were over the men started helping the driver, Joe, with all of the luggage and before long they were all settled in the hallway. Max grabbed his Mom and Isabel by the arms and started leading them to the kitchen and Alex and Philip followed closely behind.
When they arrived at the kitchen door Isabel almost fainted and Diane lost her voice, both women saw Liz bending over the oven before she even knew they were there and Olivia gave both women a big smile and said welcome.
When Liz heard this she rose up and saw Diane and Isabel looking at her like they had seen a ghost, Liz just smiled at the two women and said “Hi, how have you been? Did you have a nice flight?”
“Nice flight my ass…come here.” Isabel shouted and practically ran to Liz with Diane close on her heels. Both women hugged Liz so hard that she thought she was going to break.
Olivia couldn’t have been happier if it had been her own child, these people truly loved this young woman and Olivia could understand why.
Philip and Alex worked their way around Max to see what all of the excitement was and when Alex caught sight of the long brown hair he yelled
“Lizzie…OH.MY.GOD. where did you come from?” and he grabbed her up into a big bear hug and then when he put her down Philip just stood there looking at the young woman and held out his arms. Liz walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and started crying. He patted her head and smiled down at her…”Liz, it is so nice to see you again. My Lord child where have you been hiding yourself?”
Max could only stand back and smile, he was so happy that they were all together…this was wonderful.
Liz wiped her eyes and stood back to look at all of them while they looked at her and she started crying harder. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy.
Philip finally let go of Liz and turned her face up so she could look into his eyes.
“Liz, you have to stop this crying or we’re going to all start and then there will be no time for fun.” Liz started to giggle and Philip made a silly face at her and let her go. Oh how she missed all of this.
Finally Olivia had about all of the happy sadness she could handle for one day and told the ladies that if they didn’t get busy there was going to be an awfully lot of hungry people this afternoon. Liz looked at Diane and Izzy and they all started to laugh at the same time and with that they took their appointed places around the island and Olivia took charge.
She had taken all of the vegetables Liz had chopped and placed them in the refrigerator…she told Izzy where they were and then she retrieved the bowl with the peeled potatoes and another that had the chopped eggs and sat them all on the counter for Diane to assemble. She told Izzy to get the Olives, pickles, tomatoes and other condiments out of the refrigerator and to place them in the various smaller bowls and plates that were on the table and she told Liz to get the largest meat platter out of the other pantry for the fried chicken when it came out of the oven.
Things came together in no time and the ladies were all pleased as punch with their efforts. Refrigerator number 2 took on a life of its’ own and they were happy to just stand back and admire. Diane hugged Olivia and told her she had done another marvelous job as usual and Olivia informed her that she had a lot of help. Max and Liz both pitched in and she was happy to have had both of them help her.
Diane raised an eyebrow and said “Max helped?” Olivia and Liz both giggled and Olivia said he certainly did. He cleaned up the patio, made the fruit bowl and the melon balls, prepared the outdoor refrigerator for the drinks and even helped clean up the kitchen. To say that Diane was impressed was an understatement. “He never did that at home.”
Olivia looked at her and asked, “Did you ever ask him to.” And Diane thought about that for a minute and said “NO, as a matter of fact I didn’t.”
Then Liz piped up and said, “Well, she really didn’t ask so much as she actually ‘told’ him to.” And then they all started laughing.
Philip, Alex and Max all entered the kitchen about that time and informed Diane and Iz that their bags were in their rooms if they would like to freshen up before the rest of the guests arrived and they all agreed that they would like to…of course.
Max told Olivia to be sure to take food home for her family, she did enough cooking today and she told him she already had her care package next to her purse. She hugged the ladies all goodbye and thanked Liz for all of her help. Liz patted her on the back and told her she would be looking forward to hearing from Jane and to please give her the phone number. Olivia said she definitely would do that and then she hugged her again. “It is so nice to meet such a lovely person…It has been a pleasure Liz.”
Liz smiled, “Right back atcha Liv.” And then she picked up the box Olivia had packed some potato salad, chicken and bread in and carried it out to Olivia’s car for her. She told her she hoped she would see her again and if she was ever in Farmington, Connecticut to please give her a call. Olivia assured her she would and with that she got into her car and drove off.
*~*~*~*~*
“So Max, tell us, how is it that Liz is here?” Diane asked.
“Mom, I honestly don’t know. She called me yesterday afternoon and said she was in town and I told her to come right over. I convinced her to stay and to cancel her motel reservations by telling her that you guys were coming in today and it would be like a reunion, and she agreed. We went to dinner last night and came back, watched a movie and today I gave her a tour of the place and then she started helping Olivia. All in all it has been like we just saw each other last week. I swear, I haven’t been able to figure it out.”
“Well, maybe we can find out what’s going on with her before we leave. How long is she staying, did she say?
“No, not really and I don’t think she’s in much of a hurry to go anywhere either. It’s like she’s blocked out the outside world and has taken a break.”
About that time Liz came back into the kitchen and wanted to know if there was anything else she could help with and Diane informed her that she thought it looked pretty much done to her…Liz gave her a smile and a hug and told her she thought she would head up to her room and freshen up before dinner. Then she said,
“You have no idea how good it is to see all of you again. I had no idea just how much I missed all of you.”
And then she headed out the door and Max grabbed her wrist and turned her around…she looked at him with big eyes and he smiled and pointed to the other door…”Wrong way Liz…”
“Oh God Max, will I ever get this place straight in my head?” And they all started laughing at her. She just shook her head and started for the other door.
*~*~*~*
Right at five o’clock the buzzer for the gate started and Max headed to the back door to take a look at the monitor…there in all their glory were his four team mates and their families in this huge stretch limo and Max started laughing. He punched in the code and the gate opened…he went to the front of the house and headed for the front door just as his dad was coming down the huge stair case. Max pointed to the door and asked his dad if he had all of the papers with him. Philip gave him a look like ‘who the hell do you think you’re talking to’ and headed for the library. He knew Max wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so they could get on with the fun and games. Max met the gang on the front steps…shook hands with his team mates…hugged their wives and hi fived all the kids and then they all went into the house. Max looked for a limo driver and Pete informed him that he rented the limo, no driver, that way they wouldn’t have to worry about any unwanted news items in any of the rags. “Good thinking.” Was Max’s only remark.
The kids had their clothes stripped off and were all headed out to the pool before the parents had even finished saying their helloes. Mothers were picking up discarded clothing all over the entry and hallways as Max laughed hysterically. How he loved kids…”Let them have fun, they’re only that age once.” The women all looked at him like he was nuts…”Wait until yours wreak havoc in someone else’s home and we’ll see how much fun you want them to have.” That was Pete’s wife.
“Well, as long as it’s in your home I won’t mind a bit.” Max retorted….
”Yeah, I’ll bet.” She replied back. Pete just stood there watching the two banter back and forth when he looked up and saw a vision walking down the stairs…she looks so familiar Pete thought…then he recognized the face from the picture Max had pasted to his locker door. God, that picture did nothing for her…she’s an angel in disguise.
Liz had taken a shower and pulled her hair up into a loose twist at the back and held it with a big clip. She put on some foundation, blush, mascara and some lip gloss and she hardly looked like the kitchen help that went up those stairs a half an hour ago. She had a cute little pink tank top on and a pair of rose colored cotton slacks with a pair of open toed sandals. She looked like a young teenager.
Max followed Pete’s line of vision, swallowed hard, and soon the entire group was watching Liz descend the stairs. When she reached the bottom Max held out his hand and Liz took it and then she started to blush …why was everyone staring at her?
“Liz I would like you to meet Pete and his wife Anne, John and his wife Marge, Jason and his wife Kadee and Joshua and his wife Susan. All of the kids have gone to the pool so you will meet them later.”
“Everyone, this is an old friend of mine…Doctor Elizabeth Parker Adams, we all call her Liz.”
The men all stood and gaped and the women all smiled and said hello…each wife jabbed their husbands in the gut and they all said hello as well and then Liz gave them that killer smile of hers and said “Hello, it’s so nice to meet all of you. Max has told me about the camp you guys have for the underprivileged kids and I so admire that. It must make your families very proud of you.” And they all melted. God, no wonder Max keeps her picture in his locker. What an absolute doll thought Joshua; the women felt the same way. There was something about her that they all liked right from the get go. They all realized that Max added Adams to her last name which meant that anything they may think is going on is not going on so cool it.
About that time Isabel, Alex and Diane descended the stairs and said their helloes to the men and their wives, whom they already knew…and then it was Diane who asked if the ladies would like to head out to the patio for some fresh air and refreshments while the guys all talked business.
Everyone was agreeable to this, especially the young wives who were concerned about their unruly children. They really didn’t want them drowning regardless of how embarrassed they were with their actions.
Diane took the lead and soon everyone was seated around some nice lounge chairs holding iced tea or sodas and talking up a storm. It was like old home week for most of them and Pete’s wife made it a point of asking Liz just what her doctorate was in.
“Oh, I’m a microbiologist; I currently do studies for a pharmaceutical company in Connecticut. I had to come to Philly for some business and it didn’t take as long as I thought it was going to so I decided on a whim to see if Max was in the phone book and lo and behold there he was. He told me that his folks were coming to town for the playoffs and asked me if I would like to visit with everyone and of course I wanted to so here I am.”
“Oh, are you going to be able to attend any of the games then?”
“Well, yes I believe I will, that is if there are any tickets available. When I called and asked I was informed that I could try my chances with a scalper.”
All of the women looked at Liz like she had a third eye. “What? Did I say something wrong?” Liz asked in confusion…
Anne looked at her and said, “Liz, we don’t need tickets to see the games, we are “privileged”, ‘doncha know?’ We’ll be sitting with the team wives or in the VIP box. Philip likes the VIP box because he doesn’t do well in the sun so that is probably where you will be, but you definitely don’t need a ticket.”
“Oh.” Was Liz’s only reply.
About that time one of the kids started harassing one of the younger ones and the mother’s all headed toward the pool on a mission….all four of them threatening to reduce them to pond scum if they didn’t straighten up their act and if that didn’t work they would call coach Tom. Boy that quieted them down right now.
Coach Tom loved kids but the kids didn’t know it. He made them behave because they could get hurt at the stadium if they didn’t mind, and all the kids knew coach Tom and everyone of them listened to him when he spoke. Liz thought, ‘how awful to have to threaten them with someone else’s discipline…why not just punish them yourself? Oh well, I guess you do what works…not really my business how they raise their kids’.
About an hour later the men appeared and Max started the bar-b-que coals and went into the kitchen to retrieve the steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers from refrigerator number 1. Liz was right behind him to help him carry the stuff out and soon Alex was there with her. He had heard about the episode with the pot of hot water and potatoes and was going to make sure she didn’t hurt herself.
Max gave her the hot dog and hamburger buns to carry out and told her to put them into the bun warmer under the bar-b-que and then Max and Alex grabbed the rest of the stuff.
Alex asked Max why he let her help and Max told Alex that he thought she needed to keep busy. He was only guessing but she seemed happiest when she was busy. Alex just nodded his head in understanding and continued following Max’s lead.
Soon the party was in full swing and everyone was talking, joking and having a great time. Max had piped in music and the kids had all settled down to watch cartoons on the outdoor movie screen that had miraculously appeared out of the ceiling in one corner of the patio. The ladies all chipped in and started carrying the beautiful bowls of food Olivia had prepared for them and soon they were all seated around a few large patio tables that had been pushed together to make one table all having their fill of everything that had been placed on another large table used for a serving buffet.
How wonderful to have friends visit and enjoy each other so…this is really wonderful Liz thought to herself.
Before everyone left they all chipped in and helped clear the patio and bring in the leftovers. Liz remembered pretty much where Olivia had kept all of the zip lock bags and storage containers and as Anne and the rest of the ladies emptied the bowls into the containers Diane and Isabel rinsed the bowls and plates and started loading the 2 large dishwashers in the kitchen. Liz didn’t know there were two dish washers and when she checked them out she found one of them to be much larger than the other and it was capable of holding all of those large bowls. She couldn’t believe this kitchen; it had to have been designed by a chef for a large hotel. This place was unreal.
When everything was cleaned up the group headed out to the front of the house with a bunch of sleeping children, 7 in all, to the rented limo and they bid everyone good night.
They all told Liz it was nice to meet her and they would all see her tomorrow at the game. She smiled at them and thanked them for their well wishes and said good night along with the rest of the group.
What a lovely party this was. She had to be sure to tell Max how much she was enjoying his hospitality.
After they all went back into the house Max wanted to know if anyone was hungry…Isabel looked at him and groaned and Diane just pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning Max, goodnight.”
Alex and Isabel bid Max good night as well and Liz followed right behind them.
“Max, thank you for asking me to stay, I really enjoyed meeting all of your friends and seeing old ones. This is wonderful. You are a great friend.” And with that she headed up to her room.
Philip and Max watched her go and then Philip turned to Max and asked, “Son, what is going on with Liz. She seems alright but she doesn’t seem like herself? Do you know what I mean? ”
“Yeah Dad I do, but I don’t know any more than you do. Maybe we’ll be able to find out more as the week goes on.
“Olivia overheard a conversation with her boss this morning and he told Liz to take as much time off as she needed. He wanted her to come back all rested because there is another big project that he wants her to head up.
“Apparently she is very important to the company she works for and they think very highly of her. She hasn’t mentioned her husband once since she got here…not even to Olivia. And she and Olivia spent almost all day together working in the kitchen and talking.
“I don’t think she’s very happy Dad…did you see the way she cried when you hugged her. It’s almost as if she’s craving love. I just can’t seem to put my finger on it.”
Philip just shook his head in agreement and bid Max good night. “Don’t stay up too late Max you know you have a big day tomorrow.”
“I know Dad…wish me luck now because tomorrow will be another very busy day.”
“Good luck son, I love you.”
“I love you too Dad and thanks for coming.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” And Philip headed up the stairs.
Max wondered through the house turning off lights and checking doors and soon he was in his own room and ready for bed as well.
*~*~*~*~*
